Wednesday, July 23, 2014

This was a piece I submitted to The Age in response to an editorial they ran championing CR. As it has not run, and as I have since been quoted in other forums as well as been asked for radio interviews, I have made the decision to finally publish it here, unedited. My sole purpose for doing so is to assist in the diversification of conversation. My view is not absolute; there are plenty of others with views on this issue and the Australian public needs to be engaging with these views - CL

On Monday this week, The Age ran an editorial calling for
support of the inclusion of Indigenous people in the Australian Constitution.
This was particularly in response to Tony Abbott's comments that Australia was
not settled (quickly corrected to the equally appalling “barely settled”)
before the British arrived. These comments had many in our community reeling
and questioning his suitability as the “Prime Minister for Indigenous
Affairs”.

Unfortunately, his statement also illustrated views
Indigenous people encounter socially every day and have been fighting to change
for a very long time. In my opinion, his statement should have indicated a need
to stop and listen to Indigenous voices, but this hasn't happened. Indigenous
people are not a homogeneous group and our views reflect this diversity. This
diversity is, in fact, reflected in the community responses to Constitutional
Recognition yet to date, Australia has not seen a lot of these diverse views.

Part of the reason the discussion on Constitutional
Recognition is being held is that sections of the constitution were written
specifically to exclude Indigenous people. This is evident from the race power
that it includes; the amendment of which has been recommended by the expert
panel. Therefore, a question arising from sections of the community is this: do
we wish this historical example of institutionalised racism to be rectified
simply by our inclusion within the constitution, or are there other moves that
we should take to ensure that we are coming to the table as respected original
peoples and negotiating the way forward for this country on equal footing?

It was found by the expert panel following extensive
investigation that most Australians would not support the concepts of
sovereignty and treaty being included within the constitution. Whilst work has
been done educating the community on how our sovereignty would not be negated
by recognition, the fact that these concepts themselves are so oppositional to
a great majority of Australians is of concern. If Australians take issue with
these items then the argument that recognition would not negate sovereignty and
could further the discussions on negotiating a treaty doesn't hold. Indeed, it
shows that the national psyche really hasn't shifted since discussions of
treaty were front and centre in our political movements.

Many in the community see the push for Constitutional
Recognition as a watered-down position following the calls for a treaty between
white and black Australia up until the late 1980s. The Hawke government, after
being presented with the Barunga Statement in 1988, promised that there would
be a treaty negotiated by 1990. This was later reneged upon by the government
and the discourse changed with “reconciliation” becoming the main alternative.

The idea of Constitutional Recognition was initially
championed by the Howard government. In the unsuccessful 1999 Republic
referendum, a second question on the inclusion of a preamble in the
constitution was put to Australian voters. Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people for their “deep kinship with their lands and for their
ancient and continuing cultures which enrich the life of our country” formed
part of this proposed preamble. Howard reinvigorated the proposal to recognise
Indigenous peoples in the preamble as part of his election promises in 2007,
stating that should his government win power again, a referendum would be held
18 months into their term. The Howard years are generally not looked upon
fondly by many Indigenous peoples. His time marks continual refusals to
apologise to the stolen generations, the reinforcement of the “White Blindfold”
view of history, and the Northern Territory Intervention. A good portion of the
community still actively question anything Howard felt was a good idea.

Our oppositional views have mainly been championed by grass
roots Indigenous organisations, Indigenous commentators and social media
conversations. Such organisations include the Tent Embassies, Idle No More and
the National Unity Government. Interestingly though, the oppositional views
that the general public have most been exposed to have come from non-Indigenous
commentators. Andrew Bolt, for example, has written columns arguing against
recognition on the basis that he feels it would be divisive. The
pro-recognition view has also come from independent Indigenous voices, but
greatly by the Recognise movement – of which former secretary of the Labor
Party Tim Gartrell is the campaign director. Additionally, Recognise will
receive ten million dollars over two years in funding by the federal
government. The alternate views don't have funding, have received little
airtime, and therefore the general public is not being exposed to our debates
on this issue.

The discussions on the matter of recognition within the
Constitution are far from over within the Indigenous community. External to our
communities though, there remains a view that we wish to be included and are
waiting for the Australian public to come on board. The reality is far more
complex. The media could draw on these diverse views and facilitate debates
openly so information is circulated and informed decisions at the ballot can be
made. One thing is certain though: recognition will not stymie future
unfortunate comments from our Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs.

PS. Since I wrote this, the Interim Report has been released from the expert panel and there has been subsequent media coverage. The report is available here.

Friday, July 18, 2014

And on the final day of Ms NAIDOC, I'd like to share this profile of Andrea James as received from her long-time friend Brhaspati. It's really great to feature Andrea on the final day because Andrea was someone who blazed a couple of trails that I ended up following! We are both La Trobe Uni graduates who majored in theatre and drama, and she worked at the Vic College of the Arts a few years before I did. It seems a completely appropriate way to finish up Ms NAIDOC for this year, and I'd just like to say thank you to all those who submitted stuff, who had their profiles up, and who read and shared these. You are truly wonderful and it has been great to carve out some space and celebrate some amazing black women. Without further ado, here's Andrea as told by Brhaspati!

The pic was taken in 2002 in Deoghar. Andrea is on the left, Brhaspati is on the right and in the middle is Arjit.

When
I first suggested that I wanted to profile her for Ms NAIDOC 2014,
Andrea James laughed bashfully, downplaying her achievements and
talking up the artists and elders with whom she works. This is
entirely in keeping with the Andrea I have known for 12 years – a
warm, generous and self-effacing woman of Yorta Yorta, Kurnai and
Polish descent who is characteristically modest about the
international impact of her creative work.

Andrea
& I first crossed paths in North India, on a month-long
pilgrimage to the ashrams of the Satyananda Yoga lineage in
Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and Bihar. We bonded over shared rooms, chai
stalls, pre-dawn asana on the rooftop to the call of the mosque’s
muezzin and wanderings along the banks of the Ganga.

During
one of these strolls, Andrea mentioned, in passing, that she was
using her time in India to work on a play she was writing. It was not
until I attended the premiere season of Yanagai!
Yanagai!
at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne in 2003 that I realised the
significance of what she referred to as her ‘little play’.

Yanagai!
Yanagai! tells
the story of her mob’s ongoing connection to their freshwater
country along the Murray River in north eastern Victoria. This is an
important story to tell, given the context of the Yorta Yorta
people’s Native Title bid being thwarted on the basis that colonial
dispossession, genocide and assimilation via Cumeraganga Mission had
supposedly severed their link to their culture and language. The playtoured
internationally, being performed in New York and Glasgow, translated
into Italian and published by Currency
Press.

In
her role at Blacktown Arts Centre, Andrea programmed The
Native Institute + Sites of Experimentation
exhibition in 2013, commissioning contemporary Aboriginal artists to
reveal the history of the Blacktown Native Institute from an
Aboriginal perspective through site-specific installations and visual
art works.

Andrea
collaborated with Giordano
Nanni andIlbijerri
Theatre to stage Coranderrk:
We will show the country
at La Mama Theatre in Melbourne (2011), the Sydney Opera House (2012)
and the Belvoir
Street Theatre (2013-14). Coranderrk
brings to the stage the voices of Aboriginal
people residing at Coranderrk Aboriginal Station near Healesville,
Victoria who
submitted evidence to an 1881 Parliamentary Hearing.
When Andrea
spoke of popping down to Melbourne to do some more writing with
Giordano,
she neglected to mention that this was for a weighty AIATSIS
publication they launched in 2013.

Her
most recent curatorial work,Hereby
Make Protest
at Carriageworks, tells the story of the Aborigines Progressive
Association and the Australian Aboriginal Progress Association, who
decreed 26th
January 1938, the 150th
anniversary of British colonisation of their land, a Day of Mourning.
Weaving historical documentation with commissioned works by
contemporary Aboriginal artists, the exhibition highlights Aboriginal
resistance in the face of systemic racism.

Andrea
consistently takes a self-effacing yet fiercely compassionate
approach to bringing Aboriginal lived experiences to life via the
stage, and, more recently through exhibitions. As a playwright,
director, actor, and now curator, she combines historical documents
and contemporary art forms to engage, educate and challenge her
audiences and achieve justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples. I am proud to call this deadly woman my friend.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Received this one all the way from the antipodes where Sharon Davis happens to be studying right now, so I think Sharon has just become my first internationally-sent Ms NAIDOC submission. Too cool! Sharon has sent in an awesome profile on her mother, Pat Channing. A really inspiring story and it's a real pleasure to feature Pat on day 12. In Sharon's own words:

This is Petronella Channing, but everyone knows her as Pat (That’s my dad, Dave in the pic with her).

Mum
was born in Broome and is from a very large family. Actually, I could
have entered all my Aunties, but that would make a very large post!

Mum is a hard working woman who runs a small tourism venture up the Dampier Peninsular called Mercedes Cove (Check it out www.mercedescove.com.au). Named after mum’s mum (my granny) it is a very special place for our whole family.

Mum
(and Dad) have supported me and my brother and sister in everything
that we do and I would like to her to know that although I don’t say it
enough, I am truly thankful.

My mother is a
quiet, yet strong Aboriginal woman. She is well loved in our community
and is a rock for many people in times of trouble. Mum is very proud of
her history, and is a testament to her own hard work and determination.
She has had to overcome hardships and challenging times during her life,
and has managed to do so with such grace, resilience and humility. She
is everything that I hope to be as an Aboriginal woman.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Jazlie Davis-Grygoruk submitted this wonderful profile on Haylee Davis and again, I'm just gobsmacked by the talent in this family. Not only that, but Haylee is going to be studying in Berlin, so I've got the major jealouses going on here because THAT'S MY DREAM! Can't wait to hear how that all goes :D. Without further ado, here's Haylee!

My
cousin Haylee Davis is real Ms Naidoc material. She's a proud Biripi
woman from the mid-north coast area of NSW. Hayls quietly works away
at the things she's passionate about with integrity, confidence and
strength - primarily human rights and rights of the World's
Indigenous peoples.

Haylee
has managed to complete a Bachelors Degree in International Studies
and Global Studies at UNSW and a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Arts and
Sciences/Liberal Studies as an international student in the
Netherlands. Recently she has been accepted into a Masters of
Research with Maquarie Uni.

Haylee
can't stay put for more than a few months at a time. Having travelled
to most of the world's continents she has a loving, accepting view of
people and their different cultures. Next year she will study part of
her Masters as an international student in Berlin.

For
the last three years she has worked for NSW Aboriginal Land Council
as a policy and research officer. Part of her role is to coordinate
and manage NSWALC's International engagement strategies, including
relationships within the United Nations. She also analyses and
comments on new legislation and Government policy relating to issues
affecting Indigenous people and advises the Council on human rights
issues.

In
2013 she was accepted as a candidate in the Indigenous Fellowship
Programme of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights in Geneva. As a candidate she was able to participate in
the 6th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples. She also completed an internship with the Australian
Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

The
girl knows how to balance work with fun like no one I know and I love
how our conversations naturally bounce from politics to babies to
human rights. She is a doting aunt to my baby girl and I am grateful
that my daughter has such an amazing example of a strong Indigenous
woman to grow up with. Keep speaking out sis, I'm proud to have you
representing us mob

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

This piece was published in the final issue of Tracker - an amazing publication that ceased operation following the decision of the NSWALC to discontinue it. I am taking the liberty of republishing my piece on my blog to preserve it but also to correct a few typos that I noticed in the text. I apologise to those who have already read the original version.

I often credit going to my first WIPC:E in 2005 in Hamilton,
Aotearoa, as being a defining moment in my political development.

2005 was the
first time I had ever been overseas. Whilst New Zealand, at least to the
average white Australian, is not considered much of a stretch as far as
international travel goes, I found the differences stark, unsettling and deeply
confronting.

To go to a land where Maori ceremony precedes most events
and is seen as essential rather than an inconvenience; a land where there is a
recognised Maori monarchy; where the gubbahs (or Pakeha) speak Maori and are
indeed taught it from a young age; where a treaty exists, was eye-opening for
me.

Compared to the situation in Australia, the Maori culture seemed much more
central to the everyday lives of the average Kiwi. Whilst I completely
acknowledge that I idealise their treaty to an extent because the Maori fight
tooth and nail to try and get their government to honour this agreement
(Waitangi Day tends to be a day of protest), at least they have an agreement
they can hold their government to.

It makes the current move in Australia for
Constitutional Recognition; or us being merely written into a document which
was initially developed to specifically exclude us by the colonisers; seem comparatively
toothless.

Over the years, more visits to Aotearoa have followed and my
perspectives have shifted. More in-depth discussions with colleagues over there
have better informed me of the similarities we face with regards to disparities
in education, socio-economic status, health, and so forth.

When we presented a
paper at the Hui of the NZ Tertiary Education Union a couple of years ago, our
Maori colleagues were similarly distressed but completely unsurprised by the
rates that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff were experiencing
racism, discrimination and lateral violence in the Higher Education system.

In
short, our staff were reporting experiences of racism within the academy at a rate of roughly 80% and our Maori colleagues felt that this reflected their
experiences within the sector as well. Certainly, from a political and cultural
perspective, in many ways I still find that they are in a better position than
what we are, but they still have to fight every step of the way and sharing these
experiences across the Tasman Sea benefits us both.

We presented a similar paper to an international Indigenous
audience at this year's WIPC:E, which was held in Honolulu, Hawaii. The
Hawaiian experience has been a completely different one to what I experienced
that very first time in New Zealand.

I don't think it is possible to replicate
that very first wake-up call I received in NZ, and the USA, with its particular brand
of “democracy”, adds a completely different context anyway.

What was replicated
though was the responses to our research from this global perspective.

I saw the nods
of assent when we relayed that Indigenous-specific university subjects were
seen as “Mickey Mouse courses” by other university staff, or that there always
seems to be this racist assumption that we gain our degrees and qualifications
on a concessional basis rather than through hard work within a hostile,
white-western-patriarchal system.

There was broad agreement with the idea that our cultural business of
importance is seen as an inconvenience in the workplace rather than an integral
part of engaging with Indigenous workers and facilitating cultural exchange.

Simply put, the more time we spend engaging with Indigenous peoples from across
the world, the more similarities we can identify with regards to the struggles
we face in our homelands.

More than anything though, meeting with Indigenous peoples
worldwide provides me with points of comparison as to where we are in our own
struggles in a range of fields. I went to a particularly inspiring talk by Mana
Party candidate Annette Sykes about the threats that the Trans-Pacific
Partnership Agreement (TPPA) poses to Indigenous peoples.

Among many poignant
points made during this session, Sykes argued that the TPPA was yet another
front for colonisation via promise of “economic development” and of particular
concern should be our intellectual and cultural property, land rights,
resources and development. Additionally, she highlighted how a number of
decisions directly affecting our sovereignty are being negotiated in secret.

Not only did I come away from this session better informed, but I also realised
through discussions with fellow Aboriginal people on this topic that when it
boils down to it, we are in even worse stead in fighting these threats than the
Maori because unlike them, our sovereignty is not recognised nationally via
treaty(ies).

Likewise, on attending a session on the Sand Creek massacre
and hearing just how long and hard the Cheyenne and Arapaho had to fight to get
recognition of the site where this horrific crime took place, it was further
highlighted to me the extents in which colonising powers will go to not
acknowledge their own history.

We will continue to have a long and hard fight
to gain recognition for the frontier wars, not just of the warriors who fought
but also the women who were raped, murdered or taken into slavery. Slowly, we
will gain recognition; bit-by-bit rather than for the frontier wars in their
entirety; but this will only happen if more of us not only challenge for this
recognition, but also enter the education system and have a hand in shaping the
opinions of the future generations.

Finally, as if by some twisted irony, whilst I was over there
Warren Mundine decided to state that some Aboriginal people are using “cultural
obligations” as an excuse to not go to work or get a job. At the very same
time, I was hearing some incredibly pleasing examples of educational
institutions elsewhere in the world that have embraced the cultural practices
of their community.

Tribal colleges, community colleges and indeed some
universities seem to believe that taking into account the life experiences of
their Indigenous workers and students leads to better-rounded experiences and
higher success and engagement rates.

It's interesting that here we continue to
fight for the smallest of rights ever, such as the right to use language or
attend ceremony, whilst some of our own people continue to denigrate these
practices to the mainstream for their own advancement. In other
places across the world, it is thought that building an inclusive environment
creates the best chance for success and exchange. Indeed, when it comes to our
right to be recognised, we seem to be going backwards in this country.

So for mine, whilst being engaged in my home country is
integral to my very work and my being, engaging on a global scale as
Indigenous peoples gives me the opportunity to put things in perspective. To
critically analyse and see how our situation relates to the experiences of
other Indigenous peoples. It also creates the opportunity for solidarity,
particularly when we are fighting battles on a regional and global scale.

The
feeling of isolation that many Indigenous people feel, including myself, on a
daily basis when struggling to make things better is lessened through knowing
that others are fighting the same battles across the world as first peoples.

When Ebony Allen sent this one through and said "Leesa NEEDS to be here", I was in total agreement. Leesa is one of those warm, wonderful women I came across on the web and has been integral for the promotion of Indigenous bloggers, amongst many other things. But I'll let Ebs talk about that, and hope you all enjoy her profile on Leesa!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leesa Watego is one of
those dynamic, deadly women that it is really hard to describe
because she is and does so many amazing things that you’d be
perplexed as to where to start.

In no particular order,
Leesa is a proud Murri woman, an entrepreneur, a mother, social
justice warrior, a writer + blogger + tweeter + vlogger and educator.

I met Leesa online a
few years back on twitter (where all the cool peeps hang) and have
continued to be inspired by her tenacity in continually innovating
the way that the world sees First Nations peoples.

While she, like most
mothers, would say her greatest achievement is her children (and she’s
probably right if we go by a
recent blog post by her thirteen year old daughter Annie), what
I’d like to highlight in terms of one of Leesa’s achievements is
the Deadly Bloggers network.

In 2009 Leesa had the
idea of collating a list of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples who blog. It started off as a link list on Leesa’s personal
blog and in 2012 evolved to a facebook page, blogspot directory and a
twitter account.

At present, DeadlyBloggers has a dot com, an extensive list of blogs on almost any
given topic and an inaugural Deadly Bloggers Carnival; a month of
rotating posts by First Nations Bloggers. The concept of creating
a database and a network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
bloggers is simple yet so powerful.

Through it and accounts
like @IndigenousX, we are able to take control of our identity and
demonstrate to the world the diversity of our First Nations people,
our experiences, our thoughts and the way we express ourselves.

While you can find
Leesa on pretty much every social media platform, I recommend finding
her through her main blog Not
Quite Cooked.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Jazlie sent her own profile through, which, as I said, I absolutely love. Why? Because in a world where women are taught to be placid and "modest", I reckon it's pretty damn feminist to take stock and go "you know, I have done some awesome things". And Jazlie most definitely has. Thank you for this fantastic profile, Jazlie. Everyone else, enjoy reading about this "high-flier" ;)

I
am a Biripi woman (mid-north coast NSW), a qualified commercial
pilot, a wife & mother. I completed my BSc (Aviation) at UNSW,
including training for my pilot's license. I flew light aircraft for
three years, based out of Galiwin'ku Community on Elcho Island in
North East Arnhem Land. During this time I flew to every community in
the NE Arnhem region, as well as all the surrounding homelands.
Seeing our people live on country their way with their law has
changed me. The more I learn about Yolngu
society/culture/kinship/law, the deeper my grieving for what my own
people have lost.

I
am a non-religious person of faith, informed by Koori, Yolngu and
Christian stories. I am intrigued by spirituality and creation and
have completed my GDip in Theology.

I
was adopted into the Galpu clan in Galiwin'ku and am semi-fluent in
the locally spoken Dhuwal language of the Djambarrpuyngu people. I am
a firm believer in teaching and speaking Indigenous language and to
this end have completed a GCert in Yolngu Studies through Charles
Darwin University, as well as personal study of my own Gathang
language (currently being revived by my aunt and a group of strong
Biripi people).

My
Aussie/Ukrainian husband and I have a 1 year old daughter (best thing
I've ever done with my life), whom we are raising in Galiwin'ku
(pause here for rant about how denigrating mainstream Australia's
attitude toward public breast feeding is for a first time mum - the
primary purpose of breasts is to make milk, give me a [*profanity*]
break).

I
stopped flying when I was 4 months pregnant. Now my partner and I job
share, helping to run a grass roots community development project on
Elcho Island. Its focus is personal, social and economic enterprise
development. We work with Yolngu entrepreneurs and visionaries
one-on-one, using language and cultural parallels to help strengthen
their capacity to engage with the dominant culture world - always
done from a place of strength, grounded first in Yolngu Rom
(law/culture). I'm passionate about seeing culture, law and language
valued and maintained and hope that our work contributes to the fight
against assimilationist policies and attitudes of mainstream
Australia.

Having
witnessed the destructive effects of oppressive, paternalistic
Government policies in remote Indigenous communities, I am now
becoming more politically involved as a campaign manager for an
independent running in the next NT elections.

Next
year I intend on studying law, with a view to exploring solutions to
the undermining effect (and resulting social dysfunction) the
imposition of Australian law is having on traditional Indigenous law
in Arnhem Land.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Received this nomination from Fileisha's friend Famey Williams and thought it was just awesome. And believe me when I say that kids, job, studies and creating a home sound like a crap-load to me! I've only managed two of those things :D. Presenting Famey's "everyday hero".

I
want to nominate my childhood friend, Fileisha Laurie, or ‘Foo’ as I
know her. Foo isn’t protesting and she isn’t blogging; she isn’t up in
anyone’s face - except in her selfies on facebook. Foo is a staunch
sista who currently resides at Wongala Mish in the lovely city of Coffs
Harbour, and in my eyes; there isn’t anyone more deserving of the title
‘Ms Naidoc’.

I’ve
had the pleasure of knowing this woman since Kulai pre-school and I am
forever in awe of her drive and commitment to her family. Foo serves a
karate kick daily to the face of stereotypes normally associated with
Single Aboriginal Mothers. She is mum to three beautiful Aboriginal
children; she provides them with access to the best schooling and extra
curricular activities, she holds down a full time job and is currently
negotiating the building of her own home on the land she recently
purchased. On top of this, she is considering how to fit tertiary
studies into her life.

This
may not seem like much to some, but Foo has done all of this herself.
Not one person has provided any of these opportunities to her. She has
juggled employment, childcare and finances since the birth of her
babies; overcomes all obstacles in her path and lifts herself above the
negative behaviours of others.

Despite
the demands of her own responsibilities, she goes out of her way to
assist her friends and family in her community of Coffs Harbour, whether
it’s a loan ‘til payday, babysitting, chauffeur services - she always
lends a hand. Foo is an everyday kind of hero and so deserving of this
recognition.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Again, I wish to thank Sarah Henderson for another wonderful entrant. Presenting Belinda Huntriss! I have my fingers crossed that she gets to enjoy her Fiji trip really soon ;)-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belinda Huntriss is passionate about education and educating
Indigenous Australians. Belinda’s people are the Worimi people from the Gloucester/Forster area. Belinda graduated from Uni after almost 6 years, after heading
down the wrong path for a while.

I met her when I
volunteered with AIME, as one of the AIME people on campus Belinda was in
charge of our little group. We would go out to a local high school and host
after school homework centres. Belinda was
so inclusive she would include a non-indigenous boy who used to hang around
after school waiting for his parents. As a part of her role she worked with
over 300 Indigenous kids.

Belinda is now a mum and raising her son, while working three
jobs. When I asked her what her greatest achievement she
said ‘having my son after 27 hours of labour & all the challenges I've had to
overcome since having him. Financially it's been really hard. But now I have 3
jobs n have money to spend and saving for a holiday to Fiji xx’

Belinda’s posts often come up in my facebook feed and I
really look up to her (even though we’re similar ages). She’s honest and frank
about the challenges she’s facing but she has plans and goals and doesn’t ever
seem to give up. Which for me makes her a Ms NAIDOC.

Friday, July 11, 2014

From Kamilaroi on Day 5, to the
Yorta Yorta Nation on Day 6. We're covering some great lands here with
our fantastic Ms NAIDOCs! I received this wonderful submission about
Bernadette Atkinson from her cousin Bri King, and I have decided to not
edit a thing due to its power and how reading these words from a proud
cousin made me feel personally. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to nominate my cousin Bernadette Atkinson for your Ms NAIDOC feature.

I
grew up with my Yorta Yorta cousin but not knowing much about her
culture or what it meant to her. I knew she was Aboriginal and that I am
not but other than that, it wasn’t something we talked about.

Ironically it was only after I married an Aboriginal man who actually
knew my cousin, that I began to find out more about what Bernadette has
achieved and what her cultural identity means to her.

Bernadette left
high school in her mid teens and worked in a variety of settings and
then she started tertiary study in 2008 and completed her Bachelor of
Arts and Bachelor of Education. She has just completed her Masters in
Education and is planning to pursue a PhD. She also teaches in the
Faculty of Education at Monash.

While pursuing her education she has
also raised her amazing daughter Isabella.

Bernadette demonstrates a
strong work ethic in which she emphasises the pursuit of education to
both her daughter and Indigenous people in general as well as prompting
an Indigenous inclusive educational framework.

I am proud to say I am
related to Bernadette, a proud Wolithiga woman from the Yorta Yorta
Nations.

I have attached a pic of her and her daughter and another of
her and her father Henry Atkinson.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Sarah Henderson, whose profile featured on Day 1 of Ms NAIDOC, was written by Rudi Bremer. I now bring you the profile of Rudi as written by Sarah. What an awesome pair of women! I am inspired just by the sisterhood of these two, let alone all the amazing things that they have done. Here's Rudi:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rudi no middle name Bremer is my co-person (normal people
might say ‘good friend’). She and I met at uni during her first year and my
final year. Although she doesn’t remember the first time (I do) the second time
she spilt fried rice in my carpeted hallway.

Rudi is Kamilaroi, she attended her first Aboriginal rights
protest at 11 days old. Rudi is currently a mature aged student undertaking
Honours while working two jobs. Having
previously completed studies at Naisda, Rudi is a former professional dancer. Rudi
completed her BA Communications (Writing and Cultural Studies) last year while
working the previously mentioned two jobs, including a cadetship with 2SER
where she is now a DJ and Producer. Producing and presenting the Thin Black
Line (Indigenous Program) since 2012. In 2013 she began producing 2ser
Breakfast on Wednesdays and joined the Breakfast news teams on Fridays. Rudi
has just this past month started presenting the Drive program. Rudi has served
as Indigenous officer at UTS, helping to build a fledgling collective up and
serving on the SRC. Rudi was also a fundamental part of the Wom*n’s collective,
assisting me when I was Wom*n’s officer. She has also been an AIME mentor and
is involved with her community.

Rudi is an amazing person, last year I called her at a time
that should be illegal to call. There was a fire in my building and I was
stranded in my PJ’s. Rudi came and picked me up and took me home. Where I
stayed for two months. Rudi looked after me through many panic attack while I
was told conflicting stories about the condition of my flat. She liaised with
my work when I was too distraught and with the help of her dad she moved me. We
had three days and no electricity in a smokey, wet building. I suspect she
would do this for anyone, not just a co person. Rudi is the kind of person who
looks after strays. She has supported myself and so many other people through
so many things I can’t possibly do her justice.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Day four brings us Alison Whittaker. A wonderful thing has happened here because in the first instance, Alison wrote her own profile which I was stoked about. I had hoped some people would write their own as I truly believe that most of us don't take the time to recognise ourselves and the impact we make. Then as I was gearing up to publish Alison's entry, I received another nomination through for Alison, this time from Dureshawar Khan Yousafzai. In light of this, I would like to thank both women for their submissions and the opportunity they have provided me with to run these two views back-to-back. One compliments the other incredibly well, and it's my pleasure to present them. First is Alison's piece and then Dureshawar's piece will follow after the second photo.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’m a Gomeroi, queer lefty
law student studying in Sydney, I work in gendered violence and in law
reform, and I’m hoping to complete my honours with a body of research
and analysis on deconstructing the liberal autonomous
legal subject as an artefact of whiteness, maleness, ableness and
cishet-ness in settler law. I have every intention of becoming an
academic and a barrister, and I would like to specialise in
international and domestic law with regards to sovereignty, and
the potential for black nationalism.

I saw a big hole in black and
women’s representation in the early days of my degree and I’ve tried to
fill it, with varying success. I’ve learned more about advocacy and
activism from my failures than from my successes.
Sometimes it’s about building your own space, rather than searching for
a place in the system. I started an Indigenous collective at my
university, and I worked on other platforms to advocate for better
standards of black education. I’ve been working to make
universities and organisations more critical of their tokenistic
engagement of black students, and the black community at large. I’ve
built movements against anti-choice groups on campus. However, so rarely
do I ever get to tackle black women’s issues, or
explore those axes of oppression, so as a student, I’d imagine that
would be my next step before I put on any graduate robes!

I’ve been working to make
space for black voices in feminism, and for women’s voices in black
movements. This has been a task which has overwhelmed me at times, but
I’ve found it best to go back to ground, touch base,
have a cuppa with the tiddas and mothers and Aunts who have made me and
made me strong, and then go back to fight.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alison and I first met at some ungodly hour
on the staircase of a girl’s dormitory at a National feminist conference held
in Melbourne last year. I was having a
long rant about increasingly white feminist spaces to anyone and everyone who
would listen and Alison joined in. Two hours passed on the freezing cold
landing and everyone else had since found the comfort of their warm beds. I
found the comfort of sisterhood in Alison Jane Whittaker.

If you haven’t met Alison, let me tell you,
this Gomeroi woman is a powerhouse! She is currently pursuing a Law degree at
University of Technology in Sydney, regularly organizes and attends rallies, runs
several social groups on campus while maintaining an online presence that sends
most internet racists and misogynists into foetal position. Alison has had a
long illustrious career in student politics where she has drawn attention to
the needs of students of culturally and sexually diverse backgrounds. Listening to her speak of her People while
leading the Indigenous caucus at NOWSA 2013 was an experience that changed me
as a feminist. I am forever grateful to her for taking the time to educate
conference delegates like myself whose only education about the Black struggle
in Australia has come from the pages of the white man’s history books. She didn’t owe us this discussion or
explanation, she didn’t need to open up such triggering chapters of history for
the room to comprehend, it was not her job to educate us and yet she patiently
answered all the questions put to her and got us to question what we thought we
knew about Australia’s history. And she
did this without softening any blows, with brutal honesty wrapped eloquently in
razor sharp wit- something I hope to learn from her over the years of our
friendship to come.

Alison’s gift to me was teaching me to be
proud of whom I am. Before I met her, I was not very vocal about my own tribal
background (I am a Yousafzai woman of North western Pakistan). Years of Western media coverage had made the
proud Pukhtana in me to withdraw into a shell. Hearing Alison speak about her Country
and her People made me at ease to share my story with her and over time with
others. For this I will forever be in
her debt.

Alison Jane is a strong Gomeroi woman who
leads by example. Her dedication to the cause of her People, her ability to
bring crowds of onlookers to attention when she speaks, her infectious laugh
and bubbly personality are just some of the qualities that make her Ms NAIDOC
in my eyes. Sister, you are well and
truly a Queen. Thank you for being
unapologetically you.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Up to day three now, and I am proud to state that this Ms NAIDOC is a former colleague of mine! This profile on Sam was sent through from the equally wonderful Leesa Watego. I seriously recommend people check out Blak History Month this month as well. Without further ado:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam Cook is a Nyikina woman (Kimberley region, Western Australia).

Sam is an incredible woman whose work ethic is unstoppable, her
creativity unbound, and her ability to collaborate across borders,
mediums and genres, unmatched. Sam's vision to create independent
Indigenous spaces that value the work of artists and creatives, has been
realised most recently in the creation of Nomad's Palace - The world’s first green-design touring venue, dedicated to international Indigenous arts and cultures!

Sam has been a musician, graphic designer, playwright, visual artist,
writer, festival director, theatre artistic director, and entrepreneur.
She saw the shortcomings in NAIDOC "Week", and founded Australian Blak History Month, including initiating the Great Moments in Blakistory Fact
Sheet initiative that highlights the stories and people of Blak
Australia.

As well as being the owner of Nomad's Palace, she is also the CEO of both Groovy Granny Jam and KMBA Artists.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Welcome to Ms NAIDOC Day 2! Today's profile was submitted by Sarah Henderson, our day 1 Ms NAIDOC. Please keep them coming in folks. I have had utterly fantastic entries but I definitely need a few more and would dearly love to feature, in particular, some older women and some girls.

So without further ado, here's Ebs, as told by Sarah.-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ebony Allen is a Sydney based professional originally from
Byron Bay. Her Mob are Kamilaroi and Dharug.

Ebony and I met via twitter, although we went to the same
university and our times there overlapped. I am now lucky enough to know her in real life
and consider her a good friend, mentor and supporter.

Ebony has been admitted as a lawyer of the Supreme Court of
NSW and has represented Traditional Owners in NSW in Native Title applications.
Ebony has been a member of the NSW Premier’s Council for Women, the NSW Youth
Advisory Council and various other appointments including Young Australian of
the Year for Byron Bay. She was also an inaugural delegate to the National
Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. Ebony currently works for City of Sydney
as a Community Engagement Co-ordinator working on projects that fall under the
Eora Journey. Her professional experience is extensive for someone her age.

Ebony is also heavily involved with community and passionate
about supporting our youth (myself having the dubious honour of being one of
those youth at two years her junior). Ebony has a strong sense of identity and
her pride in our peoples and support of them is intense. Ebony will come to the
rescue when someone is suffering, even when experiencing her own difficulties
in life. She constantly puts those around her first.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Welcome
to Ms NAIDOC 2014! So very very excited and I want to thank those
that have sent me through these amazing stories of our women and
girls. I look forward to receiving more - self-written (because it is
vital we celebrate ourselves as well as others!) and friend/family
submitted. More
information available here.

Sarah
Henderson has been fantastic enough to send me through a number of
wonderful entrants which will be run throughout the week. Because of
this, I have decided to run one that someone else has submitted on
her first. This profile was submitted by the equally wonderful Rudi
Bremer, so thank you to Rudi for this piece. I have left it
written in Rudi's own words because I felt they captured the spirit
the best.

Sarah
is a Wiradjuri woman from Corakai, but I first met her three years
ago while we were both enrolled in Bachelor of Communication at UTS.
She was in her third year (I had just started my first year), and was
beginning to think about taking on Honours.

Since
getting to know Sarah I’ve realised she is a woman of many talents
and achievements. She has been a young carer for 20 years, including
17 years non-stop and the last 6 as a primary carer. She’s
completed her Honours in Writing, focusing on representations of
fair-skinning Indigenous Australians in film. She's written for The
Guardian, been a guest tweeter for @IndigenousX,
and done verbal and mental battle with hundreds in the name of equal
rights. She's also been actively involved in social justice on a
grass roots level.

So
much of what I admire about Sarah can’t be distilled into a single
moment. Everyday she teaches me about being strong, being powerful,
being proud. She has been my sounding board when I’ve needed
perspective, and my friend when I’ve needed support. She also
laughs at my jokes which can never be undervalued. Ever.

I
used to tell Sarah she should marry my brother, because sometimes she
needs a calming influence in life, and he needed someone to challenge
him. And while I still believe they would be perfect for each other I
know it doesn’t really matter because whether they ever bow to my
will or not I know - Sarah will always be my sister.

About Me

Arrernte, feminist, hard left, trade unionist, with a taste for protopunk.
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